Compass Of The Future: Future Mobile Phones to Use Global Positioning System.

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--August 12, 1998--Ericsson customers may soon use their mobile phones to get help in an emergency, navigate through an unfamiliar city, or report their location for roadside assistance.

Ericsson has agreed to license SiRF Technology Inc.'s Global Positioning System (GPS) technology for use in a wide range of wireless, hand-held devices. The technology makes it possible to develop exciting and innovative applications for use in mobile phones and terminals.

Ericsson is investigating a range of applications which will be included in future products. The possibilities are intriguing: Having an emergency? Your Ericsson phone could direct emergency personnel to your exact location. Need directions to the closest hospital, your next business appointment or a trendy restaurant? An Ericsson phone could show you the way with a mapping system that guides you to your destination.

"Our phones of the future will literally change the way people use information and communicate every day," said Jeff Mandell, vice president of marketing, Ericsson Mobile Phones, Region Americas.

As early as the year 2000, Ericsson plans to use the technology in its products. GPS technology enables a person to determine their location within 100 meters using an array of satellites operated by the U.S. government. (Using a technique called differential GPS, a receiver can determine its location to within a few feet in some cases.) The system is used extensively in vehicle navigation, emergency location and theft recovery systems. Ericsson mobile phones and hand-held computers with integrated GPS receivers will lead to convenient and useful applications and services.

SiRF's technology includes a high-performance, low-power GPS engine that is particularly well-suited for integration into a handheld communications device. The flexibility offered by SiRF's solution allows for continuous enhancement of performance and applications as cellular networks and handset technology evolve.

"We started SiRF with a mission to bring GPS-based instant location information to mainstream consumers," said Kanwar Chadha, co-founder and vice president of marketing for SiRF Technology. "Our relationship with Ericsson, a leader in the wireless industry, is a key step towards bringing GPS to potentially millions."

SiRF Technology Inc. was founded in 1995 to bring GPS technology and other wireless communications innovations to a wide range of consumer applications. The company's SiRFstar(tm) GPS technology is driving widespread adoption of products and applications that provide instant location information, enabling users to find their way or track their loved ones anywhere in the world using car navigation systems, portable PCs, cellular phones, entertainment systems, hand-held devices and a limitless range of new and existing consumer products.

Information about Ericsson mobile phones and accessories is available on the World Wide Web at http://www.ericsson.com/US/phones. Ericsson's 100,000 employees are active in more than 130 countries. Their combined expertise in fixed and mobile networks, mobile phones and infocom systems makes Ericsson a world-leading supplier in telecommunications.

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